Criminal Court of Appeal upholds acquittal in deadly hit-and-run outside hotel

TDT | Manama

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A nightclub scuffle ended in bloodshed when a car smashed into a group of security guards outside a hotel, leaving one dead and others injured.

Now, an alleged accomplice has walked free for the second time after judges rejected an attempt to overturn his acquittal.

The Criminal Court of Appeal rejected the Public Prosecution’s challenge, keeping in place the lower court’s ruling that cleared the young GCC national of wrongdoing.

Murder

The man had been brought before the First High Criminal Court alongside another defendant, accused of premeditated murder and attempted murder.

It all started with a report to prosecutors about a hit-and-run outside a hotel.

A car, driven by the first defendant with the second as a passenger, had slammed into a group of men, then fled.

A security guard was killed. Others were hurt.

Accident

The prosecution argued that this was no accident.

They claimed the attack was payback for an earlier run-in between the accused and the nightclub’s security team. Witnesses backed this up.

Statements came from the nightclub manager, one of the guards, a club-goer, and police officers from the traffic department. There were also forensic reports and footage from three security cameras.

The second defendant’s lawyer, Hassan Milad, fought back.

Evidence

He said the prosecution’s case was lacking in evidence.

There was no proof his client had a hand in the crash, let alone that he planned it.

The defence argued that the investigation lacked thoroughness and that no solid evidence tied the man to the crime.

Judges stated that a conviction requires clear evidence and certainty, and that doubts over the charges or insufficient proof could justify acquittal.

The lower court had weighed everything — the accusations, the counterarguments, the evidence. In the end, it wasn’t convinced.

Attack

There was nothing to show the two men had plotted the attack together, nothing to suggest the passenger was in on it. That was enough for an acquittal.

The prosecution pushed back, insisting the second man was just as guilty.

They claimed both defendants had agreed to kill the guards after the earlier fight.

According to their version of events, once the men spotted the guards gathered at the club’s entrance, the first defendant stepped on the accelerator and crashed into them with the intent to kill.